FIBA Europe League Final Four Moves To Istanbul

FIBA Europe announced today that the FIBA Europe League Final Four will not take place in Kiev, Ukraine, as originally planned, but will be moved to Istanbul, Turkey.

BC Kyiv informed FIBA Europe yesterday that the Kyiv Sports Palace will not be available on the 27th and 28th April, the scheduled dates for the Final Four.

The Kyiv Sports Palace is due to host the Eurovision song contest in May. BC Kyiv assured FIBA Europe that this would not have an effect on the Final Four, but the Ukrainian government informed Kyiv yesterday that the Sports Palace would in fact be closed on 27th and 28th April.

“We are of course very disappointed with this news,” said FIBA Europe Executive Director Nar Zanolin.

“All the arrangements had been made and communication gone out to all the participants that we would play in Kiev.”

“On a positive note, we are very happy that we can play at the Abdi Ipecki arena in Istanbul, one of the top basketball facilities in Europe and a great location for the Final Four.”